A study of birds' minds would be incomplete without looking briefly at their marvelous feats of homing and migration. Taken from their nesting burrows on the Isle of Skokholm off the southwestern coast of Wales and banded, two Manx hearwaters were carried by air to Boston. The bird that survived the journey was released at the water's edge. Twelve and a half days later, this shearwater returned to its nesting burrow after crossing 3,200 miles of North Atlantic at an average speed of 250 miles per day. (Skutch, Alexander F., The Minds of Birds, Texas A & M University Press, 1996, pg 146.)

The images I depict in my paintings are a part of my personal journey. Birds, their nests and their eggs provide metaphors for my human experiences. These simple images describe my fears and desires of love, security, reproduction, intimacy, and sense of community. Like migrating flocks, I vacillate between different locations in search of a more gratifying emotional climate.

The representation of the landscape is a visual journal, a way of keeping record of places I have been. Blurry glimpses recall specific moments and break through the pictorial space and interrupt patterns. Particular landscapes often reappear in different paintings. This repetition mimics my natural gravitation towards familiarity which is a large part of my assimilation process. I often find myself returning to habits that were only temporarily broken, sinking comfortably back into them regardless of my location.

The materials that I work with are layered to evoke memory. Windows appear among the reticulation of wood grain, screen printed grids and ornamental design, simulating mental snap shots. My use of paint is mercurial, ranging between clarity and ambiguity. Likewise, my concept of home frequently changes, though my desire to feel connected to my surroundings never wanes.

Education

2003 MFA, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
1999 Kansas City Art Institute; continued education, summer session. Kansas City, MO
1995 BA, Drury University, Springfield, MO

Solo Exhibitions

2003 Good Girl Art Gallery, Springfield, MO
2003 MFA Thesis Exhibition, Harry Wood Gallery, Arizona State University
1998 Zola Gallery, Kansas City, MO
1995 Olin Library, Drury University, Springfield, MO

Selected Group Exhibitions

2003 Birds In Art, Leigh Yawkey Woodson Museum, Wausau, WI
2002 MFA Graduate Summer Show, Harry Wood Gallery, ASU
2002 Nathan Cummings Exhibition, Harry Wood Gallery, ASU
2001 MFA Graduate Summer Show, Harry Wood Gallery, ASU
2001 Alumni Exhibition, Cox Gallery, Drury University, Springfield, MO
1999 Crossing Borders, Cox Gallery, Drury University, Springfield, MO
1998 Art Garden Exhibition, Kansas City, MO
1998 Florence Exhibition, Hammons School of Architecture, Springfield, MO
1997 Welling Gallery, Kansas City, MO
1996 Iron Horse Gallery, Springfield, MO
1994 MOAK Exhibition, Springfield Art Museum, Springfield, MO